Road recorder and indicator



`T. J. SI/ULSK. ROAD RECORDER ANB ,'NDI'CATORA APPLICATION FILED IAN. 3,192|.

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Patented @et Sil, i922.,

THEODORE J'. SMULSKLOF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR-TO THE IJIILEOMETRCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

.Application filed ll'anuarV 3, 1921. Serial No. 434,544.1

Toallwhom t may concern: i f Be it known that I, THnoDonE'J. SMUL- sKi,a citizen ot Poland, residing at Clii` cago, in the county of Cook andState of Illinois, have invented. certain newand useful Improvements ina Road Recordery andV Indicator, of which the following is adescription. 4

This invention relates `to improvements in road indicators ci the typeused in conjunction with vehicles, such as automobiles, and whichfacilitates driving through unfamiliar territory. By referring to ftheindicator, the driver may be constantly informed as to thecharacteristics ot' the locality in which, he may happen to be, as theindicator provides a continuous record, map or the like of any portionof the tour. The invention has among its objects the production oadevice of the kind described that isconvenient, simple, compact,durable, eilicient, adjustable and satisfactory for use wherever foundapplicable. v More particuliarly the present invention relates to animproved indicatorf driving vor actuating mechanism by means of whichthe instrument may be quickly and easily calibrated as requiredtoaccurately ,perform its functions. Many-other objects and advantagesofthe constructionherein shown and described will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art from the `disclosures herein given. i'

To this end my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangementlandcombination of parts herein shown and described, and moreparticularly ,pointed out in the claims.

vIn the drawings, wherein klike reference characters `indicate like orcorresponding parts,

Fig. l is avertical sectional view; i

Fig. 2 is a section taken substantially on line`2-2 of Fig. l; and j i jl Fig.. 3 is an enlarged view oi' the driving means partly in section. j

In order that my improved drive mechanism may be more clearlyunderstood, I shall refer briey to the cooperating yparts of themechanism, it being understood that many of the cooperating parts may bemodified as found desirable. Referring more particularly to thedrawings, A designatesl the indicator, comprising anuenclosure orcasing` having a bottom wall l, side walls 2 and 3, and a top 4:, saidtop having openings therein to receive a sight panel ofl glass or othersuitable transparent material, j through which the` record may beviewed. The casing may be held together with any suitable means such as`screws, latches, or the like, the top being `adapted to be opened ortaken off so that a record or tape may be remo-ved from or inserted`into the device.

Attached tothe inside oi?y the top il, is a spring 6 which acts on aroller 7 `to press itv againstja cooperating roller 8. Both the rollersare preferably milled or` grooved on their peripheries an-d are of anysuitable material, roll 7 being preferably of rubber, so that'they maytightlyengage a tape or record` passing between them and 'feed the same.j

j A pair of spaced side `plates 9 and l0 are positioned Iwithinthecasing, one near each ot the walls 2 and 3, both of the plates beingaper-tured` near their upperl ends to receive the journals `of theroller 8, one of the said journals extending `outwardly through thecasing wall 3 vand having a suitable knurled thumb nut ll at its outerextremity, whereby the roller may be` manually rotated wheneverit isdesired to adjust the tape between the rolls. y Y f i rIhe roller 8maybe driven. in any suitablemanner, as for instance by a gear 1Qmounted near the end of the roller shaft. rllhe gear l2 may beactu'atedthroughy any suitable ltrain of gearing (not shown), driven from thepinion 13 on shaft 14, said shaftlll being rotatably journaled between ythe plates 9 and l0.

The reelsof tape upon which the map or other indicia is marked*areniounted inside the casing and are driven so that the tape is woundonto one or the other oi' the reels, depending upon `the direction`desired, the tape `passing between the yrollers 7 Vand 8, which pullsthe tape positively from one reel andpermits its winding onto the otherreel. The reels are mounted on shafts driven by the pinion 13, throughsuitable gearing, as indicated at 15, Fig.r l.

My present invention relates particularly motion between these coactingroughened Vic to the means for driving shaft 14. As shown, frictiondisks 16 and 17 engage each other to drive shaft 14, the disk 16 beingsecured to theend of the shaft 14 opposite to the pinion 13 and adaptedto be auto-` matically adjustable longitudinally of the shaft 14 by aspring 18 so that the disk is constantly urged against the frictionsurface of the driving disk 17.y The disks 16 yand 17 are preferably ofdierent degrees of hardness, the disk 17 being the harder of the two,and it is also to be especially noted that the disk 17'is knurled orotherwise suitably roughened on its friction surface, while thecooperating surface of the disk 16 is initially smooth, as shown, at itscentral poi'- tion, in F ig. 2. When in operation, the disk 17 will cutatrack in the disk 16 complementary to its own lknurled or roughenedsurface and there will be no'play or' lost friction surfaces, for thecutting action of one disk upon the other produces a perfectly meshingdrive surface.

F ig. 2 shows the cooperating disks, as they appearnafter use,illustrating the cutting action of the disk 17' upon thedisk 16. 'Ihecentral area of the disk16, which has not been in contact with the disk17, retains its initially smooth surface. y H

The driving element 17 is adj ustably mounted on a drive shaft 19 sothat the same may bevraised or lowered, or that is, moved from or towardthe center of the disk 16 so v as to vary the .relative rate of speed ortravel offthe two disks.

As shown, the disk or driving element 17 is mounted in a frameconsisting of the plates 20 preferably securedtogether, and which arearranged to travel on the guidesv21secured to the plate 22 and thebottom 1 of the casing. As shown,

' a threaded member 23 is rotatably carried'by the casing and .plate 22and engages with a nut 23,.foriiiinga` part of the frame 20. Thethreaded member 23 is provided with an operating head 24. Obviously, asthe member 23 is turned, the same causes the frame 20 to travel on theguides 21. The shaft 19 upon wliichthe disk 17 is slidably mountedprojects tothe exterior 'of the casing as indicated at 25 and may beconnected to a part of the vehicle running one of thevwheels. 4 l

In operation, when the device is assembled, disk 16 initiallyissubstantially smooth, as previously mentioned, the' cooperating teethupon the same being cut by the disks 17 when the device is operated.Obviously, on vehicles the speed of the shaft 19 transmitted from thewheels depends upon thesize gear, for example to i of thewheel;'consequently the device may be adjusted for different sizes ofwheels, thereby making it applicable for different makes of vehicles. Itis also found that the speed of the shaft 19 transmitted from the wheelsmay vary with different degrees of tire in'liation, and also alltiresare not the same size. Road conditions may also have an effect on thedriving of the shaft 19 from one of the wheels, requiring a calibrationof the instrument. With the driving mechanism herein described, theinstrument may be calibrated fromtime .to time, and even on differenttrips or during the saine trip, by merely'adjusting the position of thedisk 17 by means of the head 24 of the threaded member 23. Theinstrument may be checked against known distances, or by means of thetime and speedometer indications. If it `is found that the lroadindicator `is reading too fast, that is advancing the tape too fast,

the driving mechanism may be adjusted to correct this, and the same 'is:true ifthe mechanism is not indicating fast enough.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious thatvarious.immaterial modifications inay beinade in the same without departing from the spirit of my invention; hence I do notwish to beunderstood as'limiting myself to the exact form, construction,arrangement and combination of parts herein shown vand described, orusesvmentioned.

What. I claimas new and desire to secure f 31 by Letters Patent is: I

1. In a.l device of the character described and in combination, anindicator driving element, and drive means for driving saidindicator'drivingelement, said drive means comprising` a driving andA adriven element adapted to frictionally Contact with each other, one ofsaid drive elements having a roughened friction surface andthe otherofsaid driven elements having a smooth fric- "f tion surface.

2. In a device of the'character described and in combination,anindicatorf driving element, and adjustable drive means fordriving'said indicator driving element,'said 1 drive means comprising adriving anda driven element adapted to` frictionally con tact with eachother, one of said drive elements having a roughened'friction surfaceand the other of said driven elements having initially "a smoothfriction surface.

3. In a device of the character described and in combination, a'tapedriving element, and means for actuating said tape driving element7 saidmeans comprisinga driving 11.

and `adjustable means ifo-r positively actuating said tape drivingelement, said means comprising a driving member having ay roughenedsurface, and a driven member having initially a relatively smoothsurface, said driving and driven members being adapted to frictionallyContact with each other whereby the driver Will form a complementaryroughened engaging surface on said driven member.

ln a device of the character described and in combination, a tapesupporting and driving element, and adjustable means for actuating saidsupporting element, said means comprising a driving member and a drivenmember adapted to frictionally engage with each other, said drivingmember having a roughciied surface and composed of a material relativelyharder than that of the friction surface of said driven member, wherebysaid driving member will form a roiigliened engaging surface on saiddriven member.

6. In a device ol? the character described and in combination, anindicator driving element, and means for driving said tape drivingelement, said means comprising a driving member having a roughenedsurface and a driven member initially having a relatively smoothsurface, said driving and driven members being adjustable to vary thespeed of the driven member and adapted to frictionally contact with eachother,

whereby the driver will form a complemen tary roughened engaging surfaceon said driven members. I

7. In a device of the character described and in combination7 a reelsupporting element, and means for driving said reel supporting element,said means comprising a driving member and a driven member adapted torictionally engage with each other and adjustable to vary the speed ofthe-driven members, said driving member having a roughened surface andcomposed oi material relatively harder than that of the friction surfaceof said driven member, whereby said driving member Will form acomplementary roughened engaging surface on said driven member.

8. ln a road guide device of the kind described and in combination, tapecarrying `mechanism and adjustable driving mechanism therefor, wherebythe instrument may be calibrated to control the travel of the tape.

.in testimony whereof, l have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftivo subscribing witnesses.

THEODORE J. SMULSKI.

Witnesses:

ROY W'. HILL, BERTHA HARTMANN,

